This booklet examines the definition of the term "empowerment" according to academics and policymakers and the relevance of empowerment to achieving social inclusion at the national and European Union levels. The findings of a study of the theory and practice of empowerment in five Integra projects in Ireland are reviewed and used to create a framework for linking the diverse definitions of empowerment to different concepts of citizenship and the microprocesses of project design and implementation. The following are among the issues emphasized: (1) the benefits and limitations of the positivist, interpretive, and critical approaches to policymaking and citizenship; (2) problems of the social partnership model; (3) strategies for moving toward a common society and citizenship; (4) the relevance of empowerment to achieving inclusion; and (5) putting empowerment into practice. The booklet's main conclusion is that the practice of empowerment in the projects examined is influenced by the following factors: project managers' disciplinary backgrounds; the constraints of operating within the time scale and objectives of the Integra initiative; the nature of the promoting organizations; and the circumstances and needs of projects' target groups. (The bibliography contains 18 references. The following items are appended: 13 tables; 2 charts; and descriptions of the 5 Integra projects.) (MN)